The prior art teaches that sealed beverage containers and certain canned food containers are provided with flip-top opening mechanism as a means of accessing the contents. The flip-top opening mechanism relies on the use of a consumer's fingertip and/or fingernail for applying the upward urging force at the pull-tab which initiates the opening process. While much has been done to make the flip-top can opening task somewhat user-friendly, there is still room for improvement. For example, pull-tabs have been designed with more circumfirential mass to minimize the amount of flatness contact with the underlying container lid structure. However, a limitation exist as to how much of the tab's pull region can be allowed to remain lifted to effect a user-friendly finger contact, and yet not present a problem for inadvertent contact opening. Needless to say, the inadvertent contact opening concern prevails to the demise of broken fingernails, and to flip-top containers having their pull tabs deposed very close to the underlying lid surface area and any depressed region provided. The fingernail damaging problem is greatly amplified among persons that serve beverages from flip-top beverage containers, such as flight attendants, bartenders, and the like.
A prior art accessory known for opening flip-top cans, concerns a short strip plastic structure having a recess at one end. The recess is used for inserting the pull-tab and for applying the required upward force to open the container. While the apparatus saves the fingernails, it must be placed in a convenient place after use to free up the hand to give change to a buyer for a beverage purchase, or if a long period lapses before another container must be opened. This type of accessory opener is not suitable for a multiple beverage server because of the awkwardness associated with having to free up the hand to give change and then search around for the opener.
Thus, a need is seen to exist for a flip-top container opening accessory which aids in opening a container having a flip-top opening system.
A need is further seen to exist for a flip-top container opening accessory which not only aids in opening a container having a flip-top opening system, but that also remains inconspicuously on the user, ready for another flip-top opening task, while freeing up the user's hand to do other tasks.